Greyhound men's basketball and Goofy discuss strategy during the team's visit to Animal Kingdom at the Disney Classic. The team won two of three games in the tournament.

STUDENT-ATHLETE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE HUGE SUCCESS

What has become a fast growing tradition at Assumption College, the Greyhounds staged their eighth annual STUDENT ATHLETE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit Thursday (September 7, 2007).

The purpose of the event, born out of a dream and initial groundwork of the late Brother Robert Beaulac, A.A., eight years ago, is to unite all of the student-athletes and coaches at the College and declare their intentions to be held to the highest standards of personal integrity and honor.

Sportsmanship, a selfless sense of behavior, and a promise to their teammates, school and fans, whom they represent, that they will strive for a standard of excellence that reflects the dedication and honor of all members of the college community.

The program concluded with all student-athletes reciting the Assumption College Student-Athlete Honor Code together.

Shown above in the photo: (front row) junior football standout and event reader Terry Stanford, keynote speaker and Assumption College President Francesco C. Cesareo, senior soccer standout/captain and event speaker Ashley McMahon. (back row) Darren Hazeur, Campus Minister, Dr. Catherine WoodBrooks, Vice-President for Student Affairs, Ted Paulauskas '67, Director of Athletics, and Rev. Dennis M. Gallagher '69, Vice-President for Mission.

Other people involved with the production end of the evening included: Nancy Small, Director of Campus Ministry, Stephanie McCaffrey, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry (who was also the event photographer), Rachel Doll, Campus Minister and her student staff (setting up the candles) and head women's basketball coach Kerry Phayre and her assistant Sue Cahill.

Special plaudits to freshman cross country standout Grace Kennedy, who sang both the prelude and closing song and to sophomore Ashley Rode, who served as the event pianist.

Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo, Ph.D. Remarks, Click Here

2007 FOOTBALL TEAM AWARDS: Freshman-of-the-Year: HERBERT WOODARD (FR, RB, Salem, NJ/Salem) . . . Scout-Team Player-of-the-Year: JORDAN D'EMILO '10 (FR, WR, Stowe, PA/St. Pius X) . . . Unsung Hero: ROSS DU BUC (SR, OG, Sharon, MA/Xaverian) . . .Special Teams Player-of-the-Year: JON EISELE (SR, PK, Lower Gwynedd, PA/Vermont Academy) . . . Offensive Most Valuable Player: DAVE CANNEY (SO, WR, Templeton, MA/Narragansett) . . . Bernard F. Gaughan Defensive Most Valuable Player: CHRIS MARTINO (JR, DB, Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) . . . Paul F. Cantiani '73 Team Most Valuable Player: JARED KELLY (SR, DE, Canton, MA/Xaverian) . . . Kevin H. McSherry '79 Lineman-of-the-Year: MATT CERINS (SR, OT, Manchester, CT/East Catholic) . . . Michael T. Reilly '79 Memorial Coaches Award: TONY SAVARESE (SR, LB, Simsbury, CT/Simsbury).

STUDENT-ATHLETES GRADUATE WITH HONORS: 18 Assumption College student-athletes graduated in 2007 with honors including: SUMMA CUM LAUDE: Robert Doyle (track), Justin Hotchkiss (basketball), Jess Paulson (basketball), Matt Stopp (tennis), Lauren Sutherland (basketball) . . . MAGNA CUM LAUDE: Tracey Conboy (lacrosse), Dan Doenges (tennis), Allie Leber (tennis), Shannon Steele (tennis), Nicole Tremblay (cross country, track) . . . CUM LAUDE: Stephanie Brooks (softball), Kristin Cannon (soccer), Stefanie Capone (softball), Sarah Leary (softball), Amie Nolan (cross country, track), Peter Reynolds (lacrosse), Christine Sullivan (volleyball) and Tess Wurm (volleyball).

EX-HOUND BRIAN GORDON WITH TRI CITIES FEVER: former standout BRIAN GORDON '05 is playing with Tri-Cities Fever (Kennewick, Washington) of AF2. He is playing as a regular at both linebacker and fullback. Click here to go to the team website

LASKA NAMED TO WORCESTER HALL OF FAME: Director of Athletics Emeritus ANDY LASKA was among the first class of inductees in the Worcester Public High Schools Athletic Hall of Fame (May 12, 2007). Laska, who starred at North High School and later at the College of Holy Cross, served the College as men's basketball coach (1951-67), golf coach (1959-85) and Director of Athletics (1956-85). Worcester Athletics Director John Pepi headed the selection committee. Former Worcester Academy coach Dee Rowe will be featured speaker. Rowe was an assistant basketball under Laska at the Academy in the 50s. Other inductees include Ziggy Strzelecki, Jim Kenary and Jim Butcher from before 1950; Eliott Nadeau, Vic Vezoulis, Tony Pignataro and Peter Backstrom from 1951-1975; Tony Jeffries, Cedric Ball and Nancy Mayer from 1976-1997; and coaches John Comer and John O'Neil. Laska is also a member of the Assumption College Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame, the College of Holy Cross Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: former Hound football player MIKE MC SHERRY '83, whose brothers Kevin, George and Brian were also part of the football program for the Greyhounds, has been named a Vice-President with Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations in Washington, DC . . . former Hounds' basketball assistant TOM MOORE is the head coach at Quinnipiac University and is ably assisted by former Hound aides, SEAN DOHERTY and ERIC EATON . . . Moore was an assistant at the University of Connecticut for the last 13 years, while Doherty was the head coach at Salem State College . . . Former baseball catcher TOM FERACO '90 was named to the Worcester Order Sons of Italy Hall of Fame and was inducted May 16, 2007. Feraco, who earned all-New England and all-conference honors as a senior once hit three home runs in a single game for the Greyhounds. He is now with the Worcester Police Dept. And, DREW COOPER '99 is an assistant coach at Bellarmine College (Louisville, KY) . . . former baseball player ED CONNOR '73 is the Senior Vice-President, investment and trust officer for Fitchburg Savings Bank . . .

NEW ENGLAND BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME: ANDY LASKA (coach, 1951-67 and athletics director, 1956-86); JOE O'BRIEN '57 (player, 1953-57 coach, 1958-85, Executive Director of the Basketball Hall of Fame, 1985-03); TIM SHEA '72 (player, 1968-72 and now coach, athletics director at Salem State); CHARLIE BIBAUD '55 (player, 1950-52, prep coach, 1952-67); BILL GIBBONS (player, 1954-56, official); JOHN GROCHOWALSKI '75 (player, 1971-75); JAKE JONES '71 (player, 1967-71, NBA, 1971-72); MIKE BOYLAN '73 (player, 1969-73); JOE LANE '60 (player, 1956-60, coach St. John's, 1964-72); KERRY PHAYRE (coach, 1996-present); SERGE DE BARI '71 (player, 1967-71, coach, 1996-99, 05-present); ART BOMENGEN '75 (women's collegiate official); ED HIPPERT '62 (player, 1958-62); FRED BARAKAT '61 (player, 1957-61, coach, 1966-69) and TOM O'CONNOR '68 (player, 1964-68) and present George Mason Athletics Director won the 2004 Pathfinder Award for contributions and the Greyhounds 1970-71 men's basketball team.

GREYHOUNDS GRADUATION RATE BEST IN NORTHEAST-10: in a recently released report of N.C.A.A. Federal Graduation Rates, Assumption College is tied for FIRST among its brethren in the Northeast-10 Conference for the period between 1996-2002. Northeast-10 Conference: 1, ASSUMPTION (89%) . . . 1, Saint Michael's (89%) . . . 3, LeMoyne (87%) . . . 4, Stonehill (86%) . . . 5, Saint Anselm (84%) . . . 6, Pace (77%) . . . 7, Merrimack (75%) . . . 8, Bentley (73%) . . . 9, Southern New Hampshire (71%) . . . 10, Bryant (66%) . . . 11, Saint Rose (62%) . . . 12, Massachusetts Lowell (56%) . . . 13, Franklin Pierce (55%) . . . 14, American International (53%) . . . 15, Southern Connecticut (37%) . . .

KEEPING UP WITH FORMER GREYHOUNDS: former softball pitcher MEG CURTIN '97 is now the field hockey coach at Burncoat High (Worcester, MA) . . . former baseball standout DAN WALSH '96 is the new baseball coach at Centennial High (Frisco, TX) . . . Hounds Hall of Famer TOM O'CONNOR '68, the Vice-President/Athletics Director at George Mason University, was the chairman of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Selection Committee . . . Hound hoopster PAUL PHILLIPS '76 is in his second stint as Clark University (Worcester, MA) men's basketball coach . . . SEAN CONRAD '84 is the head men's basketball coach at Anna Maria . . . JOHN MILLER '85 is an assistant men's basketball coach at Merrimack College . . . MIKE LABRIE '79 is back to high school coaching as the boy's basketball mentor at Springfield, MA Central High . . . former Hounds baseball standout WALTER RILEY '80, who was ordained a diocesan priest at St. Paul's Cathedral June 3, 2006, is now stationed at Christ the King parish in Worcester . . . Hound lax player DOUG SMITH '89 has joined The First National Bank of Ipswich as President of its Boston division . . . soccer player MATT WALTON '97 is the girl's tennis coach at Lyme-Old Lyme, CT High School . . . Matt also teaches at Old Saybrook Middle School and coaches the girl's soccer team . . . Hounds' football alum ROBB MC COY '01 is the head football coach at Norton, MA High School . . . Hounds' quarterback/outfielder JAY COSTA '96 is the Director of Athletics at Shrewsbury, MA High School . . . Jay had previously served at Shrewsbury as a coach and guidance counselor . . . Hound golf alum PAUL COUTURE '76 is with the Patriot Financial Group (Worcester, MA) as a senior planner . . . hockey goalie/assistant coach MIKE MYERS '93 is the youth hockey and community relations manager for the Worcester Sharks (AHL) . . . Hound basketball alum JASON CHAVOOR '99 coaches the Holy Name High boy's basketball team . . . and BRIAN ROBINSON '05 plays professionally for Atletico/Slimcei Club de Portugal (POR-Proliga) . . . teammate O MCGEE-SHARP '04 is with the Hawaii Mega Force (ABA RE RO) . . . Hounds cross country and track Hall of Famer RICH OVIAN '81 is assisting with the cross country program at Saint John's High School (Shrewsbury, MA) . . . Hound football alum FRANK GUINTA '93 is the mayor of Manchester, NH . . . hoopster DAN MC KEE '73 is mayor of Cumberland, RI . . . former football standout ANDY QUINN '98 is the football coach at Cohoes, NY High School . . . former rower MATT SISK '01 was appointed by the George Bush Administration to serve as special assistant to GSA (General Services Administration) New England Regional Administrator Dennis Smith and will work in support of the president's management agenda and serve as the public relations resource for the New England Region . . . cross country standout JOE CURTIN '92 was promoted to Associate Vice-President involving investments at Wachovia Securities . . . Hounds' football standout defensive back MARK CAFFERTY '93 joined BIOCOM as Director of Workforce Development. He leads BIOCOM's efforts in implementing a $2.5 million employment and training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. He came to BIOCOM with more than 12 years experience in connecting youth and adults with careers, most recently as director of strategic alliances for the San Diego Workforce Partnership . . . field hockey captain LAUREN KURSONIS '05 teaches at Northwest Elementary School in Leominster and also coaching with the junior varsity field hockey team at Notre Dame Academy (Worcester) . . . baseball captain ANDY BARLOW '05 is teaching math at the St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School (Braintree, MA) . . . women's hoop captain and 1998 class valedictorian AMY KING was profiled in the Pembroke, MA Mariner on the opening of her new consignment furniture sales store, Home Chic Home . . . softball standout LAURIE DEL GREGO '02 is teaching (and coaching the JV softball team) at The Morgan School (Clinton, CT) . . . she authored a career batting average of .454 with a school-record 271 hits during her stay with the Greyhounds . . . teammate LORI AMICANGELO '02 is teaching and is the assistant softball coach at Trinity Catholic (Newton, MA) . . . Marblehead, MA High School girl's basketball is coached by KRISTEN FOLEY '01. Foley was a four-year starter for the Greyhounds and participated in two NCAA Division II regionals. She began coaching at Central Catholic High and compiled a 44-6 junior varsity record in three years. She is also a sheltered English immersion teacher in Methuen, MA for 5th and 6th grade . . . rowing standout JIM RUTLEDGE (1971-74) is the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Clean Harbors, Inc. of Braintree, MA . . . the company is among the leading providers of environmental and hazardous waste management services in the nation . . . Jim served as captain for the Greyhounds in both 1973 and 1974 for Coach WALLY HALL '72 . . . baseball all-America CHRIS COLABELLO '05 just finished his third season in the CanAm League and is back with the Worcester Tornadoes . . . MIKE PALADINO '89 (Worcester, MA/Doherty), a men's basketball alum, is the boy's basketball coach at Malden Catholic High School, while PAT DRISCOLL '01 is the baseball coach . . . MIKE WILSON '86, who once rowed for the Greyhounds, was recently named a Senior Vice-President by Comerica Bank in charge of its Wealth & Institutional Sales division in Dallas. TX . . .